2017 GGA Winners announced

year’s Global Gaming Awards winners have been announced. Taking place at a ceremony in Las Vegas, this year’s GGA’s were incredibly successful, with twelve companies winning the prestigious accolades.

Hundreds of industry professionals attended the Venetian Ballroom to see who would be crowned the industry’s best. After months of nominating, shortlisting and judging, the winners were finally revealed, with the awards providing the perfect way to kick-off this year’s Global Gaming Expo.

We would like to thank our category sponsors, IGT, NetEnt, SB Tech, Betradar, AGS, UltraPlay, Agilysys, Ganapati Malta, Authentic Gaming, NYX, Microgaming, Scientific Games and Konami. They are who makes the awards possible. Furthermore, we would like to thank our Lead Sponsor BetConstruct for their consistent dedication in ensuring this year’s awards went above and beyond.

We would also like to thank our Nomination Panel, our Judging Panel and KPMG for evaluating 12 months of hard work from all the companies put forward.

2017’s Global Gaming Awards was a celebration of everything that is constantly evolving and improving in gaming. We hope you all enjoyed this year’s awards and we look forward to seeing you again in 2018!

Land-Based Operator

Winner: Wynn Resorts

Wynn Resorts took home the title of Land-Based Operator of the Year due to its extremely successful financial results in the past 12 months, including the launch of the impressive Wynn Palace Cotai. The win was one of monumental proportions as Wynn Resorts broke MGM Resorts International’s three-year winning streak in this category.

Digital Operator

Winner: bet365

bet365 has maintained its reputation as one of the world’s favourite online betting companies, positioning itself at the forefront of innovation. With over 19 million customers in over 200 countries across the globe, bet365 has continually ensured it offers its customers an outstanding online sportsbook betting experience.

Land-Based Product

Winner: IGT – Cardless Connect

This is an award for a single product that has made the most significant impact on the land-based gaming industry in the past 12 months. Once again, IGT has scooped the award with its mobile phone-based loyalty scheme, Cardless Connect. This product was chosen as the platform for MGM’s M life scheme, and has since proved a hit with a broad demographic of customers and casino management.

Digital Product

Winner: Evolution Gaming – Dream Catcher

As with its land-based counterpart, Digital Product of the Year awards a company for a single product that has improved the digital gaming landscape. The company that led the pack this year was Evolution Gaming’s Dream Catcher product, reinventing play through the clever use of technology. The innovative and exciting product has taking the live gaming world by storm, reinventing the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ format.

Customer Loyalty Program

Winner: MGM Resorts - M life Rewards

Casinos tended to dominate the final Shortlist, and it was MGM Resorts which was yet again able to claim its title as champion for the fourth year in a row. Its M life scheme rewards guests for virtually every dollar spent across 15 MGM resorts, and is regarded as the most popular scheme in Vegas. The M life Mastercard crowns an already strong offering, with the exclusive behind-the-velvet-rope M life Moments experiences also swaying the judges in MGM’s favour.

Digital Acquisition Program

Winner: LeoVegas Affiliates

Affiliate marketing is having an increased impact in the growth of online gaming businesses, this category awards companies for their marketing schemes and products that have generated the most traffic for digital operators in the past 12 months. LeoVegas were finally able to take the award home this year after narrowly missing out to Unibet in 2016.

Land-Based Industry Supplier

Winner: Scientific Games

The award takes into account a supplier’s entire portfolio, as well as its volume of new business and financial results. Scientific Games has had a truly great year. Operators in regulated markets all over the world are partnering with the firm for its game content, technology, customised programs and managed services that continue to engage today’s players in new and exciting ways.

Digital Industry Supplier

Winner: NYX Gaming Group

NYX Gaming Group took home the award most coveted by the biggest names in the online gaming product supply industry. Last year, both NYX Gaming Group and OpenBet entered the Shortlist separately; however, the monumental acquisition considerably improved NYX’s sportsbetting market supplying capabilities, helping to cement its place as the Digital Industry Supplier of the Year.

Land-Based Gaming Innovation

Winner: IGT – SPHINX 4D

IGT has maintained its commitment to transforming the gaming industry with products that set new levels of inventiveness in the land-based market. IGT’s SPHINX 4D game represents the high calibre of innovation this supplier offers, creating next-generation gaming experiences. Our panel of judges were blown away by the game, deeming it a genuine game-changer in this category.

Digital Gaming Innovation

Winner: Betgenius – eSports trading

Betgenius was awarded the title Digital Gaming Innovation of the Year with its eSports trading platform. The company is a true eSports trading pioneer, offering up to 50 in-game markets across 15 game titles. Due to huge growth in the scale and support for eSports competitions, Betgenius’ innovation is trailblazing for any future operators seeking to capitalise on this.

Responsible Business

Winner: Sportradar

This year’s final Shortlist included both land-based and digital companies. Sportradar won due to their work helping to stamp out match-fixing in sports betting. The company has set up integrity programme workshops to educate members of betting industry organisations on how events can be manipulated, providing key expertise on how to avoid this pernicious activity affecting the industry.

European Executive

Winner: Mor Weizer

This year Mor Weizer has been acknowledged for pushing Playtech onwards and upwards in the most exceptional way. The company posted profit increases of almost 20% in 2016, while branching confidently off into unchartered waters. Playtech expanded into the UK’s racecourse market, closed a multi-year deal with Warner Bros and became the first operator to successfully enter the Czech Republic online gaming market.